The Countdown
by Larkawolfgirl
Summary: It was 12:28 a.m. and Riku's world was falling apart. Come morning Sora and Kairi would be gone from his life. He reflects on their relationship. Sorikai


**AN: **I am sick and couldn't sleep last night. While trying in vain to fall asleep this just popped into my head.

**The Countdown**

_It was 12:28 a.m. and his world was falling apart._

Riku looked at the boy and girl curled up to him on either side, as if life depended on it. In the morning they would be gone, and his world would be over.

Of course their relationship had been found out. You can't hide a pregnancy for too long. Their parents blamed him. Said that he was the difficult one. It would be easy to tell their new town that as a girl Kairi had been too scared to stand up to them. In their heads Sora was the father. He had been too innocent to realize that this sort of relationship could have consequences. Riku was the one who had to be separated. He was the bad influence.

_It's 1:53 a.m. and his world was falling apart._

And maybe it really had been his fault. Wasn't he the one that broke up their merry band in the first place? But hadn't he also been the one to stand idly by as the two of them dated for those two long months?

He remembered watching in agony as the duo exchanged chaste kisses (neither of them were insensitive enough to grope each other when he was around, though he knew that they did).

_It's 2:49 a.m. and his world was falling apart._

But then there was that day when Kairi went to cut her hair. He and Sora had been fooling around on the beach as usual. Sora wore a pair of tight red and white striped swimming briefs that left little to the imagination. The sun beat down on him making his skin glisten as if he were an angel.

Riku didn't mean to kiss him, he really didn't, but a particularly cold wave lapped at his feet. He jerked away seamlessly falling on top of Sora. They both laughed, but then the atmosphere became tense. Sora was there beneath him, his saving angel was there.

He kissed him. It was sweet and invigorating, but he broke away remembering Kairi carelessly trusting them together. He lowered his head in shame before apologizing. But when he looked back up at Sora there was a strange look in his eyes. They didn't hold any shame, only something that looked suspiciously like longing. And then their lips were joined again. Sora nipped at his bottom lip driving him crazy. Riku moved to kiss his naked chest, causing him to let out labored gasps.

Then they both heard the thud of a bag tumbling to the sand. Kairi stood there, her pink hair shorter now and slightly waving from the blow-dryer. They broke apart, and now Sora did look ashamed. The girl took off running, and Riku watched in silence as the brunette stuffed the bag's contents back into place before following her, leaving him alone on the hot sand.

_It's 3:29 a.m. and his world was falling apart._

He had left them alone then. He didn't want to get in their way while they were hopefully making up, besides he wouldn't have known what to say anyway. Two weeks passed and he found a new rhythm of solitude, which was why he was so shocked that Saturday morning when at 7 a.m. sharp Kairi was at his door. Her eyes were full of intention. She didn't say anything, just stood there panting.

"Kairi what are you-"

She tackled him. She kissed him with so much enthusiasm that she wasn't pleading for him to touch her, she was demanding it. He lost himself in her scent of strawberries and soft yielding flesh under his fingers. He rolled them over so that he was on top of her. He had expected her moans to be sweeter than Sora's had been, but instead they came out in creaking gasps. Her fingers grabbed on to the short line of shag carpet as he tasted her. She was rich and vibrant. Too exhausted for questions he just started at her smiling face before drifting off to sleep.

_It's 5:57 a.m. and his world was falling apart._

He had awakened to see her still smiling down at him, her fingers tracing lines on his face.

"What is going on?" he asked, but she touched her finger to his lips shaking her head. Obediently he followed her down the road to Sora's house. Once there she called up to him, "Sora, Sora." The brunette's hair was visible first before his beaming face grinned at them. He turned running down to meet them. Riku was barreled into and both of his companions hugged him.

"Um, guys, I still don't understand what is going on."

"Relax Riku." Kairi twilled a lock of her hair. "I just had to make sure that you liked me too." She pecked him on the lips before doing so to Sora as well. His eyes grew wide and she giggled. "Well, don't leave him hanging." she laughed as she pushed him closer to Sora. Then they kissed and everything was right in the world.

_It's 6:13 a.m. and his world was falling apart._

For a short time life had been perfect. The three of them were careful not to show too much affection while on the main island, but when they came to the play island they were free. During those times it was just the three of them, three warm, loving bodies.

They had begun to worry about what would happen if they were found out even before they learned of the pregnancy. Life was so perfect that they knew it was unlikely to last. With all the hope that they could must they shared a paopu fruit. The paopu fruit would keep them together for all eternity.

_It's 8:24 a.m. and his world had fallen apart._

The only highlight to the day was that their parents had been kind enough to not only let them spend one last night together, but to let Riku watch as the only things that had ever made sense in his life vanished beyond his sight. He stood there watching from the shore as Kairi's parents attached the raft to their small boat via a rope.

"Goodbye Riku," Kairi whimpered, tears in her eyes, as she wrapped her arms around him one last time. He placed his hands on her waist squeezing gently. He focused on the feel of her stomach against him, trying in vain to feel their child.

She let go, moving aside so that Sora could have his turn. He clung to him as if for dear life as wet, sloppy tears fell from his eyes. "I don't want to leave you Riku."

Suddenly parting felt even harder. "I know, I know," he tried to sooth while inwardly he wanted to dig a hole and just die in it. That would be much easier than telling them goodbye.

Kairi's parents took ahold of their arms pulling them away. "It's time to leave now," they said sternly. Kairi and Sora stepped on the raft and waited for Kairi's parents to start the boat. The boat started and they were dragged farther and farther away.

Riku wondered what he should do with his life now. It no longer held any meaning. If this entire dilemma was his fault then maybe he should go see Namine. Yes, that was it. She could erase all memory of him as if it had never happened. He could die back when he had been controlled by the darkness, or possibly never even have existed at all. That way Sora and Kairi could live a normal life. Her honor wouldn't be tainted by "being a whore" and Sora wouldn't have to be so very sad.

But then he saw Sora's arms waving frantically. Kairi called something but all he could hear was a high shrill. It didn't matter. He didn't need to hear them to understand. The paopu fruit would keep them together. He would make sure of it.

Their parents couldn't have expected for Riku to have such muscle, that he would be able to swim so far and so fast. He slashed through the water making it to the raft quickly. Kairi pulled him up where he sat to take a rest.

Her parents stared in awe for a minute before lecturing, "Now young lady, you are going to end this silly relationship right now." Sora rolled his eyes as he leaned over grabbing an oar and nestling it on the raft. He summoned his keyblade and easily cut the rope tied to the boat. Her parents sputtered as they rowed away.

Riku didn't know where they were going or what they were going to do, but he did know that he world had just ended. His world had been replaced by a clear canvas ready for their brushes.


End file.
